Watch: Sebastián Lelio Returns With A 'Fantastic Woman' Heroine

You know who’s on fire? Chilean director Sebastián Lelio. The helmer, currently at the fore of the Chilean film renaissance alongside filmmakers like Pablo Larrain, blew away audiences and seemingly came out of nowhere with his 2013 Festival hit “Gloria” (which made many of our best-of year-end lists). This year he’s returning in full force with two feature films in tow. World premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival is Lelio’s “Disobedience” starring Rachel Weisz, but coming sooner and also playing TIFF is the South American director’s “A Fantastic Woman.”  The movie centers on a young transgender woman who moonlights as a nightclub singer, and is bowled over by the death of her older boyfriend. Here’s the official synopsis:

READ MORE:  Beyond Larraín: 6 Chilean Directors You Should Know

FANTASTIC WOMAN is the story of Marina, a waitress and singer, and Orlando, an older man, who are in love and planning for the future. After Orlando suddenly falls ill and dies, Marina is forced to confront his family and society, and to fight again to show them who she is: complex, strong, forthright, fantastic.

READ MORE: Sebastián Lelio’s Mesmerizing & Mysterious ‘A Fantastic Woman’ [Berlin Review]

The film made its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival earlier this year and our critic Jessica Kiang called it “mesmerizing and mysterious.” And it sounds like a bit of a gear shift from “Gloria.” Lelio returns in a different, semi-Hitchockian register, to give us another stunning, deeply involving portrait of a woman with the borderline superhuman capacity not to hate herself for who she is, no matter who else does.

The film also comes from the producers of “Jackie” and “Toni Erdmann” so that should get you further psyched if you don’t know the work of Lelio (and you really should).

Starring Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, and Luis Gnecco to name a few, Sony Pictures Classics is releasing the picture later this year (TBD date so far). Check out the trailer and let us know what you think.